Myth (noun) - defined a widely held but mistaken belief; a traditional story about heroes or supernatural beings, often attempting to explain the origins of natural phenomena or aspects of human behavior or somebody who or something that is fictitious or nonexistent, but whose existence is widely believed in.In 2004 Dr. Ivan Van Sertima's 7th edition, edited book: "Egypt, Revisited – Wayne B. Chandler is quoted as saying:

“...Once again we must turn to Amelineau for it was he that discovered the tomb of Osiris at Abydos. Because of this discovery Osiris could no longer be considered a mythical hero...” – page 126, paragraph 4, first sentence.

Emilie Amelineau was first to excavate “The Tomb of Osiris” in Abydos, Egypt in 1895. Between 1899 and 1901 William Flinders Petrie began his own re-excavation work. He found a human arm adorned with jewelry.

In 1945, Abdel Moneim Abu Bakr came across a water-filled shaft inside a small tunnel that runs north-south under the causeway of Khafre at Giza. He never excavated or published what he explored.

In the spring of 1999, Dr. Zahri Hawass decided to take on the challenge of excavating the shaft. He said:

“I believe that the Osiris Shaft is what the Greek author Herodotus, the 'father of history,' was talking about when he said that Khufa (eg. Khafre) was buried on an island in an underground chamber, located in the shadow of the Great Pyramid and fed by a canal from the Nile. Herodotus must have been describing the Osiris Shaft, although he was incorrect about its date and function. The Osiris Shaft seems to be a good deal later than the reign of Khufu, as the earliest artifacts found inside date to Dynasty 6, with most of the finds of a much later date. As I have noted, through my excavations I was able to determine that it probably represents a symbolic tomb for the god Osiris, not a royal tomb as Herodotus maintained...” – Source

On Thursday, June 9th, 2009, we will begin the work of sending the new robot into the tunnel in the hope of finding out where it leads. Hopefully, we will be able to find out why it was carved out of the rock so deep underground. Solving this mystery will truly be an amazing adventure, and I hope that you will enjoy learning the answer to the secret of the Osiris shaft along with me and my team!